All the latest about the Park–straight from the Executive Director’s desk…
Dave’s Blog
ALABAMA GIVES DAY: Thursday, February 2
January 31, 2012If you haven’t heard, we all have a chance to make history in Alabama’s first day of giving this Thursday. More than 850 nonprofits are participating, but we hope you will support Red Mountain Park by giving what you can: http://algives.razoo.com/story/Red-Mountain-Park-Fund
Please encourage others to give: if not to Red Mountain Park, then to an organization that speaks to them.
Meet our new Administrative Assistant, Cynthia Tarver
January 27, 2012Cynthia has previous experience with the park. As a child, she grew up in the Wenonah community. Cynthia and her friends often visited the area where the park is being built. They enjoyed playing in the old mine ruins and picking plums. Cynthia is honored to be a part of this project with Red Mountain Park, and is excited to be “reuniting with her past to build a wonderful future”.…
Birmingham Boy Scouts Clean Up No.13!
January 10, 2012
An enormous thank you to the 100+ scouts and parents who joined us this weekend in a major clearing project at the No. 13 mine. Our entire staff is impressed each and every time the scouts execute a project at RMP. Photos below by Jeff Newman.
Friends Workday
December 5, 2011Happy December, all!
Recently, we had the Friends of Red Mountain Park out for a workday. Check out these great pictures from their visit!
My Rail-Trail Champion Award
October 4, 2011I am delighted to report that I have just returned from receiving my Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champion Award from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
The 24 other national recipients and I were awarded at Kaiser Permanente’s state-of-the-art Center for Total Health in Washington, D.C. on October 1. We received a commemorative silver-plated railroad spike and, most importantly, a pass-through grant to the trail or trail organization of our choice.…
Park Ranger McFerrin to Speak at L&N Railroad Convention
September 20, 2011We are excited to have our Park Ranger, Eric McFerrin, speaking at the L&N Railroad convention in Harlan, Kentucky this week.
According to Ranger McFerrin, the L&N Railroad was predominantly the main railroad carrying red ore early on. He says industry in Birmingham and the railroad are inseparably intertwined.
Founded in 1850, this railroad system ultimately spanned 6000 miles and served 13 states. The L&N…
Fall is in the air at the park.
September 19, 2011We are enjoying this September weather here at Red Mountain. The air is crisp, and the leaves are crunching beneath our feet. I find myself wondering how the original miners of Red Mountain and their families responded to this time of year; perhaps their children played among the houses in the mining camps excitedly in the cool air as we all did as children. How will you and yours celebrate the arrival of…
Oxmoor Cemetery Cleanup
September 13, 2011Red Mountain Park acquired a piece of land from U.S. Steel containing the old Oxmoor Cemetery. Established in 1825, the cemetery rests on five and a half acres of land. The area is enclosed by West Oxmoor-Shannon road and Oxmoor-Wenonah road on the northeast corner, and is less than a mile from what was Oxmoor Furnace.
Oxmoor Cemetery was in use until 1912, and over 300 residents of Oxmoor were buried there.…
Preparations for 2012 Volunteer Vacations are Underway
September 6, 2011Get ready, hiking and volunteer enthusiasts! The American Hiking Society’s Volunteer Vacations will be here before we know it.
The American Hiking Society describes Volunteer Vacations as “a week of building and maintaining trails in exciting and diverse locations across the country.”
The 2012 Volunteer Vacation at Red Mountain Park will take place sometime in March 2012. Our staff has officially begun the application process!
According to the American Hiking Society, “The mission of…
30 Days of Red Mountain Park
August 11, 2011I hope you have all heard about mygreenbirmingham.com, a site dedicated to green amenities in Birmingham. The site is currently featuring a daily blurb on the park, so I would highly recommend checking in on the site daily. Let us know if you have any questions or comments about what you learn: http://www.mygreenbirmingham.com/news/30-days-of-red-mountain-park/.
Rail-Trail Champion Award
July 12, 2011
- Speaking to the excited crowd that attended Red Mountain Park’s National Trails Day last month.
I am excited to have just learned of my selection as one of 25 recipients for The Doppelt Family Rail-Trail Champions Award. The award was established to commemorate the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy’s 25th anniversary by honoring those who have helped nurture and advance the rail-trail movement through their
…
Vote Red Mountain Park Your Favorite Park!
July 8, 2011People often ask how they can help the park, how they can contribute toward the park’s success. I have a very big answer to that question! VOTE for Red Mountain Park in Coca Cola’s Favorite Park Campaign. And upload any photos you might have of the park for additional voting points. The U.S. park with the most votes will get a grand reward of $100,000! Here’s the link to vote: http://livepositively.com/en_us/home/#/americasparks/vote…
Park Management Training has begun…
June 17, 2011Last week I kicked off a 5-week training program for my staff that includes all aspects of Integrated Park Management–it is time that we begin to prepare for what life will be like around here once those gates open. We have enjoyed having discussions on how Red Mountain Park will operate and what roles we’ll play in a successful operation.
I have been happy to have staff from Vulcan Park…
National Trails Day: A Success!
June 6, 2011Major thanks to everyone who joined us on Saturday to celebrate National Trails Day! Special thanks to Merrell for sending Mark, who added some great gear giveaways to our event.
Here are a few shots from Saturday:
National Trails Day Hike! Saturday, June 4th 8:30
May 27, 2011Join the Red Mountain Park Staff, Commission, & Friends of Red Mountain Park as we take a hike on the NEW Ishkooda Mines Trail, an exciting trail that features a beautiful overlook of downtown Birmingham. We will begin at 8:30 a.m. in the Frankfurt Drive cul-de-sac(right by our office). Spots are limited so hold yours by emailing Katie@redmountainpark.org or by calling our office at (205) 202-6043. Hikers will have…
Volunteer Vacation Wrap-Up: final numbers on what was accomplished!
May 9, 20111. Cleared 3,340 feet on a road in the park that had been abandoned for 48 years and turned it into part of the new trail we call the Ishkooda Mines Trail that goes to the Birmingham city overlook. 2. Laid out and built 475 feet of new single track trail, which is also part of the new Ishkooda Mines Trail to the city overlook. 3. Cleared vegetation from two…
Please Join Us: Western Quarterly Forum
April 6, 2011We are pleased to be partnering again this year with Lawson State Community College to bring you the Western Quarterly Forum on Thursday, April 21st at 6:00 p.m. I’ll be covering park progress and updates and will also be asking for some specific support as we move forward.
The forum will take place on Lawson State’s Birmingham West Campus in the Ward Building(ACATT). Email me with any questions; ddionne@redmountainpark.org.
american hiking society: volunteer vacation
March 25, 2011What a week we had. Visitors from other cities at the park working hard to create a trail we’ve been dreaming about for quite some time now, the city overlook. So tonight we are celebrating their success at the overlook, and I am looking forward to praising and thanking each of them for their hard work this week. We could not have had a more positive, fun crew to work…
Enjoy! RMP digital brochure
March 11, 2011We are proud of all the fun this piece contains–learn about your past and imagine your future here: http://www.redmountainpark.org/brochure/
Have a great weekend.